I spent the day in Abu Dhabi for a meeting. It wasn't as productive as I had hoped, but it was still nice getting out of town for the day.
On the way home, I drove through a sandstorm. It really is pretty harrowing to see and experience. The sand was so thick that visibility wasn't much farther than the front end of your car.
Side note - Each time I've experienced a sandstorm, I noticed that the wind blew across the road, horizontally. The fierce windy sand moves from right to left or left to right, to swirls in big circles.
Side note 2 - I always thought storm chasers were nuts, but I can see the fascination now. I was tempted to pull over just to have it swirl around me.
When there was a slight let up in the wind, I could see that the cars around me had on their emergency blinkers. So, I turned on mine, too. That really was the only way to see them. Thankfully, the speed of the traffic slowed way down. This is a road that folks fly on, so I was happy that cooler heads prevailed and they/we all slowed down.
As I was driving home, in all of this colorful weather, I was listening to music. It had been a while since I'd done that. Usually I'm listening to motivational speakers.
Anyway, I was listening to someone cover a Whitney Houston song, and I thought - why am I listening to him, when I could be listening to the real thing. So, I was serenaded by Whitney, then Michael (Jackson), and finally Luther (Vandross).
Yes. They have all passed away, but it felt so good to walk down memory lane with them. Each song took me to a different place and time in my life.
I thought about all of the great music and musicians I grew up with, and how prolific that time - the 70's - were in giving us timeless artists and songs that have lasted the test of time.
There was Aretha (Franklin), Gladys (Knight), Stevie (Wonder), Frank (Sinatra), Barbra (Streisand), The Temptations, The Four Tops, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, featuring Teddy (Pendergrass), and so many more. Although I was not a fan, many people liked Marvin (Gaye).
Side note 3 - I've come close to having to turn in my "black" ID card when that tidbit was revealed.
Funny how many young folks nowadays, are using just the one name, like Beyonce (Knowles) and Joe (???).
Seriously! They haven't earned the right. Will we be listening to them 20-30 years from now? I doubt it.
They can't hold a candle to Aretha, Gladys, Barbra, Frank or Luther.
OK. I get all riled up about this, so I'll stop.
Finally, a comment about my dateless decade.
I was married for 20 years, and spent almost every day for much of that time trying to please my husband and keep a happy home. Well, at about year 15, I realized that no matter what I did, it wouldn't ever be good enough, so after a while, I stop trying.
Now, it takes two to screw things up in a relationship, and God knows I was guilty on many levels. So, after hanging in as long as possible, it ended in year 20.
That was my year of jubilee! I started to experience a freedom I'd never had before, and I loved it.
I also discovered I liked me, warts and all.
And I made a promise to myself to never spend another day trying to bring someone else happiness. That has to come from within.
So, I've guarded my heart and myself.
My motto now is "to thine own self be true."
If that leads to a relationship, wonderful.
If not, I'm OK with that, too.
On the way home, I drove through a sandstorm. It really is pretty harrowing to see and experience. The sand was so thick that visibility wasn't much farther than the front end of your car.
Side note - Each time I've experienced a sandstorm, I noticed that the wind blew across the road, horizontally. The fierce windy sand moves from right to left or left to right, to swirls in big circles.
Side note 2 - I always thought storm chasers were nuts, but I can see the fascination now. I was tempted to pull over just to have it swirl around me.
When there was a slight let up in the wind, I could see that the cars around me had on their emergency blinkers. So, I turned on mine, too. That really was the only way to see them. Thankfully, the speed of the traffic slowed way down. This is a road that folks fly on, so I was happy that cooler heads prevailed and they/we all slowed down.
As I was driving home, in all of this colorful weather, I was listening to music. It had been a while since I'd done that. Usually I'm listening to motivational speakers.
Anyway, I was listening to someone cover a Whitney Houston song, and I thought - why am I listening to him, when I could be listening to the real thing. So, I was serenaded by Whitney, then Michael (Jackson), and finally Luther (Vandross).
Yes. They have all passed away, but it felt so good to walk down memory lane with them. Each song took me to a different place and time in my life.
I thought about all of the great music and musicians I grew up with, and how prolific that time - the 70's - were in giving us timeless artists and songs that have lasted the test of time.
There was Aretha (Franklin), Gladys (Knight), Stevie (Wonder), Frank (Sinatra), Barbra (Streisand), The Temptations, The Four Tops, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, featuring Teddy (Pendergrass), and so many more. Although I was not a fan, many people liked Marvin (Gaye).
Side note 3 - I've come close to having to turn in my "black" ID card when that tidbit was revealed.
Funny how many young folks nowadays, are using just the one name, like Beyonce (Knowles) and Joe (???).
Seriously! They haven't earned the right. Will we be listening to them 20-30 years from now? I doubt it.
They can't hold a candle to Aretha, Gladys, Barbra, Frank or Luther.
OK. I get all riled up about this, so I'll stop.
Finally, a comment about my dateless decade.
I was married for 20 years, and spent almost every day for much of that time trying to please my husband and keep a happy home. Well, at about year 15, I realized that no matter what I did, it wouldn't ever be good enough, so after a while, I stop trying.
Now, it takes two to screw things up in a relationship, and God knows I was guilty on many levels. So, after hanging in as long as possible, it ended in year 20.
That was my year of jubilee! I started to experience a freedom I'd never had before, and I loved it.
I also discovered I liked me, warts and all.
And I made a promise to myself to never spend another day trying to bring someone else happiness. That has to come from within.
So, I've guarded my heart and myself.
My motto now is "to thine own self be true."
If that leads to a relationship, wonderful.
If not, I'm OK with that, too.
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